


we know where we belong

by thegrayness



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, David Rose is a Dragon, M/M, Pre-Slash, Scale Grooming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:20:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27536719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegrayness/pseuds/thegrayness
Summary: David gets mud on his scales while rescuing Alexis from another misadventure. A certain human offers assistance.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 47
Kudos: 85





	we know where we belong

**Author's Note:**

> Um. I think we can all agree that David is a dragon. So. 
> 
> Thanks to TINN for the beta and title from Sweet Creature by Harry Styles.

David has mud on his scales. 

He’s just returned to his cave after flying two provinces over and traipsing through a  _ jungle _ or a  _ forest _ or something to rescue Alexis from her latest misadventure with an overzealous Grand Duke with an estate in the middle of said jungle. Or forest. 

It rained last night, so everything was dirty and disgusting as David torched the front gate of Bermudo’s estate, which isn’t even that nice. Alexis better appreciate what he has to go through every time she gets restless and decides to fly her ass over a cute guy’s vacation spot so her scales glisten in the sun. 

So he’s covered in mud, and Alexis is off in her own cave—which is far too close to David’s if he’s honest—licking her wounds or exfoliating her tail or whatever she does between boyfriends. The humans she picks… honestly. She deserves better. 

He shakes his body, hoping some of the thick mud will fly off, but he only gets a few bits off. He flutters his wings in frustration and huffs out through his nose. The gust of air kicks up the loose dirt around him and he takes a few steps back in disgust. 

Footsteps echo near the arched entrance of his cave. “There you are—oh,  _ David. _ What happened?”

It’s Patrick, who works for the man who technically owns the grounds where David lives. He’s been… stopping by for the last few months, during his workday. Alexis says he’s cute, and, well... David  _ has _ noticed that Patrick visits David pretty exclusively. 

He doesn’t think too much of it, though—he is a dragon, after all. Patrick’s a short human with curly hair that blows in the wind and wide eyes that remind David of a baby deer. 

He’s probably not into David. 

David flaps his wings.  _ What happened?  _ It’s clear what happened! 

Patrick comes closer, and David sits back, folding his back legs beneath him. “Alexis,” David huffs, tucking his wings against his back. “Rescue.”

David’s still learning to speak Patrick’s language. 

Patrick hums in understanding and reaches out to touch David’s side. His wings twitch, but he stays still while Patrick wipes at some of the dirt that’s still wet. “Do you… need help?” Patrick asks, pulling off a leaf stuck to his scales.

David is not at all prepared to let Patrick  _ groom his scales _ , but Patrick’s face has always been way too earnest for everyone’s good, and his huge brown eyes make David deflate. He flicks Patrick’s shoulder with the tip of a wing—he won’t be  _ asking _ for help, that’s for sure. 

The grin Patrick gives him is annoying and it makes David’s tail swish back and forth a few times, brushing up more dust from the floor. He really needs to clean this place up. “I’ll be right back with supplies.”

David dips his head down low in a nod. “No soap.”

Patrick grins wider. “You got it.”

David exhales through his nose as Patrick heads out of the cave, and slides his feet forward to lay down, curling his tail in front of him. 

He must doze off, because the next thing he knows, Patrick is setting down two buckets of water next to him. He sits up slowly, letting out a huge yawn and blinking at Patrick. He shakes out his wings once, gives his head a shake, too, to clear the sleepiness. 

Patrick lays a warm hand on David’s side, looking up at him. He’s tiny, compared to David, but he always seems to take up so much room when he comes into David’s space. Patrick walks around David once, gently wiping at spots where the mud is caked on, loosening the dirt from David’s scales. It’s soothing, and David lets his eyes flutter closed. 

David hears sloshing water and looks over to see Patrick dipping a cloth into one of the buckets, wringing out the excess moisture. He steps back over to David, holds the cloth up. “This okay?” he asks. 

David bends his head down, gently touching his nose to Patrick’s shoulder. “Okay,” he says when lifts his head. Patrick smiles at him, a bit shyly, and David’s tail swishes again—which David doesn’t exactly  _ appreciate _ . 

“You know, David,” Patrick says as he starts really scrubbing, “you’re a really good brother.” 

That was  _ not _ what David expected Patrick to say. He grunts softly in response. 

“I mean it,” Patrick says. David ignores him and focuses on the feeling of Patrick exfoliating his scales. He closes his eyes again, making a soft noise when Patrick gets to a sensitive spot near his tail. “Oh, is that—” Patrick takes a step back. “Is that okay?”

David makes an affirmative noise, and Patrick strokes a clean spot on David’s side with his free hand for a moment before resuming his work. 

“Lift your paw?” Patrick says, and David scoots over out of reach. He snorts loudly and shakes his head.

“Uhh—”

David stomps his  _ foot _ . 

“Okay?” Patrick says, looking confused. 

“Feet,” David says. He knows  _ that _ at least. 

Patrick looks like he’s stifling laughter but before David can focus on breathing fire right at his smug face, he’s stepping forward and laying his hand against the top of David’s hind foot. “Can you lift your foot please?” He asks again, still smiling but at least he’s not laughing. 

His hand is gentle even though David is a huge, scary creature, and it settles his lightly simmering rage at the implication that he has paws. He lifts his  _ foot _ .

They move on, Patrick carefully cleaning David’s scales, working his way around David’s massive form. When he finishes all the spots he can reach, he urges David to bend his neck so he can reach, even though David is pretty sure there’s minimal mud on him there. He obliges, though, because it feels nice and he likes Patrick. 

He doesn’t realize he’s making noise at all, but after a few minutes, Patrick stops his motions. “David, are you  _ purring _ ?”

David startles out of his state of contentment, giving his whole body a shake. He flaps his wings a few times. 

“Hey, hey!” Patrick days, taking a few steps back. “I take it back!” He laughs and tosses the cloth in one of the buckets. 

David turns to face the opening of the cave, his tail knocking into the wall as he moves. He absolutely was  _ not _ purring. He is a fire-breathing dragon, okay, with beautiful obsidian scales. He doesn’t  _ purr _ just because a cute human comes around and helpfully offers to pamper him after a rough few days in the forest. 

“Done,” David says roughly, sitting back on his haunches again. 

“There are a few more spots, are you sure you don’t want me to get them?” Patrick asks, and he’s smirking, but he’s also holding out a cloth again, with his big hopeful eyes staring right into David’s. 

David bends his head again. 

“Thank you,” Patrick says softly as he runs the cloth over David’s long neck. David closes his eyes, because he can’t look at Patrick, who is being so kind to David and is still thanking  _ him. _

Once Patrick is finished getting the mud off, he leans down to pick up the bucket of clean water. “This will… be cold,” he says, lifting it and stepping closer. David shuffles back frantically, shaking his head. “Come on, you need to rinse off all the stuff I got unstuck for you.”

Patrick makes an excellent point, and David does technically agree that he wants to be free of the gross jungle debris Patrick got off his scales. David takes a deep breath, exhaling right in Patrick’s face just to be clear that he is reluctantly agreeing. 

Unfazed, Patrick grins. “Count of three okay?”

David does his best to glare.

After the water… incident, during which Patrick had to make a trip back towards the main house to refill the bucket, they go outside so David can lay in the sun, and Patrick sits next to him and tells him a story about the estate owner, Ray. David’s never met him—the estate is vast and Patrick is generally the only person who wanders over to David’s area, besides Stevie who lives in a croft on the property not far from David’s cave. 

He must fall asleep again—saving Alexis is quite tiring—because when he opens his eyes, the sun is on it’s way down. He snuffles quietly, shifting to get his legs under his body, stretching his front legs out and lifting his tail in the air. 

“Hi, sleepyhead,” Patrick says, startling David. He jumps a little, dropping his bottom back onto his hind legs as they tuck under. He grunts in Patrick’s direction. Patrick continues. “I’d be offended you fell asleep on me, but I imagine the whole Alexis rescue was tiring, not to mention you graciously allowing me to help you with the mud.”

He narrows his eyes at Patrick, who just grins back at him, like teasing David is  _ fun _ for him or something. Patrick stands and brushes off his pants. “I have to get back to the main house. Ray needs me to handle some new clients while he does a portrait of Duchess Jocelyn.”

David snorts and stands up too, flapping his wings a few times and swishing his tail through the long grass. 

Today’s been nice—most days are nice when Patrick stops by—and David finds himself wondering if Patrick will come back again tomorrow. He…  _ wants _ Patrick to come by again tomorrow. Patrick’s looking up at him with a small smile, rubbing the back of his neck as the sun dips behind him. It’s a nice view, and David bends his head down to be eye level with Patrick.

“Oh,” Patrick says softly. “Hi.” He drops his hand to his side. 

David gives a sharp exhale through his nose.

Patrick blinks. “So… I’ll see you—”

David moves forward to rest his head gently on Patrick’s shoulder. 

“Oh,” Patrick says again, resting his hand on the side of David’s face. “I—” He starts, but doesn’t finish, just pets gently at David’s face. David’s tail swishes rhythmically behind him—he’s going to leave a mangled patch of grass behind at this rate. 

After several moments, David pulls back, bumping his nose against the palm of Patrick’s hand as he pulls it away. He sits up tall again and flaps his wings. “Again,” he says roughly.

Patrick rubs at his cheek. “You mean the—” he gestures between the two of them.

David shakes his head in frustration. “Come back,” he tries.

Patrick grins again and David tosses his head to the side to show he’s indifferent despite his statement. 

“You want me to come back.”

David doesn’t respond, but he glares. 

“Tomorrow?” Patrick asks, his voice small and hopeful and—oh no—David desperately wants him to come back tomorrow. 

He flexes a wing and taps Patrick in the chest with the tip of it. He goes to pull his wing away, but Patrick quickly grabs it, fingers gentle. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says quietly, brushing over a ridge in David’s wing. 

David tucks his wing back, flapping it once because he thinks it might be trembling. 

Patrick smiles up at him. “Good night, David,” he says and starts walking away. 

David heads back into his cave after a moment, craning his neck to peek around a rock in the back that juts out from the side of the cave, just to check on his hoard. Things look fine, so he heads back towards the front and settles down for the evening. 

When his eyes flutter closed, he imagines Patrick coming back tomorrow—maybe he’ll bring food from Ray’s garden—and maybe the next day. Feeling warm and content, David drifts to sleep. 


End file.
